Ces canalisations sont généralement définies dans des tableaux donnant des coordonnées x, y, z dans l'espace de leurs différents points d'épure; These pipelines are generally defined in tables giving the coordinates x, y, z in space of their different points of diagram;on appelle points d'épure d'une canalisation les points de rencontre des prolongements de chaque groupe de deux de leurs parties rectilignes conjointes réunies par une partie courbe et situées dans un même plan; called point of diagram of a pipeline the meeting points of the extensions of each pair of their joint straight portions joined by a curved portion and located in the same plane;ces tableaux doivent également indiquer pour chaque point d'épure le rayon de courbure et l'angle au centre de la partie courbe considérée. these tables must also indicate for each point purifies the radius of curvature and the central angle of the curved portion considered.

Toutefois, avec de tels agencements, on ne peut réaliser que des cintrages ayant un rayon de courbure égal à celui du galet intérieur et il faut donc changer celui-ci, et également le galet extérieur quand on veut obtenir un rayon de cintrage différent. However, with such arrangements, one can realize that bends having a radius of curvature equal to that of the inner roller and it is necessary to change it, and also the outer roller when one wants to obtain a different bending radius.

[0008] [0008]

On a trouvé selon l'invention que l'on pouvait réaliser des canalisations gauches en utilisant une machine de cintrage comportant une tête de cintrage, caractérisée en ce que, pour permettre de cintrer le tube suivant des rayons de courbure quelconques, pourvu qu'ils soient égaux ou supérieurs à celui du galet intérieur, l'axe du galet extérieur est disposé à une distance de celui du galet intérieur telle qu'il y ait entre lui et le galet intérieur un espace très légèrement supérieur au diamètre du tube à cintrer, laissant subsister un jeu de l'ordre de 1 mm entre le galet extérieur et le tube à cintrer quand ledit galet extérieur est en position inactive, en ce qu'une buse de guidage est fixée à sa partie antérieure, immédiatement derrière le galet de cintrage intérieur, de façon qu'elle soit traversée axialement par le tube destiné à être cintré et qu'elle s'oppose à la déformation de celui-ci par réaction en sens inverse à celle proposée par s It has been found according to the invention that could achieve left pipes using a bending machine comprising a bending head, characterized in that, to enable bending of the tube according to any of the radii of curvature, provided they are equal or superior to that of the inner roller, the axis of the outer roller is disposed at a distance from that of the inner roller such that there is between it and the inner roller a space slightly greater than the diameter of the tube to be bent, leaving a clearance of the order of 1 mm between the outer roller and the tube to be bent when said outer roller is in the inactive position, in that a guide nozzle is secured to its front part immediately behind the bending roller inside, so that it is traversed axially by the tube to be bent and is opposed to the deformation thereof by reaction in the opposite direction to that proposed by son cintrage autour du galet intérieur sous l'action du galet extérieur et en ce qu'elle comporte en outre des moyens pour tronçonner le tube une fois réalisée la canalisation voulue, et d'autres moyens pour façonner les deux extrémités de ladite canalisation et y adapter les raccords filetés classiques qu'elles doivent comporter. are bending about the inner roller under the action of the outer roller and in that it further comprises means for cutting the tube once achieved the desired pipe, and other means for shaping the two ends of said pipe and y adapt conventional threaded connections they have to behave.

[0009] [0009]

Grâce à la première caractéristique, l'introduction du jeu entre les galets, le cintrage a un rayon de courbure qui est fonction de l'angle au centre dont on fait tourner l'axe du galet extérieur autour de celui du galet intérieur, et qui diminue au fur et à mesure que celui-ci augmente; With the first characteristic, the introduction of the clearance between the rollers, the bend has a radius of curvature which is a function of the central angle of which is made to rotate the axis of the outer roller around one of the inner roller, and that decreases gradually as it increases;on peut trouver par des calculs ou par des essais, d'une part, l'angle dont il faut faire tourner l'axe du galet extérieur autour de celui du galet intérieur pour obtenir un cintrage d'un tube de diamètre extérieur déterminé dont la courbe a le rayon de courbure désiré, et, d'autre part, la longueur dont on doit faire avancer le tube, et la soumettre à ce cintrage sans modifier la position angulaire du galet extérieur, pour que la partie courbe obtenue ait l'angle au centre désiré. can be found by calculation or by tests on the one hand, the angle that must rotate the axis of the outer roller about that of the inner roller for bending a tube outer diameter determined whose curve has the desired radius of curvature and, on the other hand, the length of which must advance the tube, and subjecting to bending without changing the angular position of the outer roller, so that the curved portion is the angle obtained the desired center.

[0010] [0010]

Grâce à la seconde caractéristique de l'invention, la buse de guidage fixée à sa partie antérieure, on obtient une précision dans la position et le rayon des cintrages successifs qu'on ne pouvait atteindre avec les machines connues antérieurement ne comportant pas une telle buse de guidage. With the second feature of the invention, the guide nozzle attached to its front part, one obtains a precision in position and the radius of the successive bends which could not achieve with the previously known machines not having such a nozzle guide.

La machine peut être alimentée par des rouleaux de tubes qui peuvent avoir de 2000 à 3000 mètres de longueur, par exemple, ce qui présente un très grand avantage pour la conservation en bon état de ces tubes, qui se détériorent quand ils sont tronçonnés à l'avance. The machine can be powered roller tubes that can have 2000 to 3000 meters in length, for example, which has a great advantage for conservation in good condition of the tubes, which deteriorate when they are cut to 'advanced.

[0013] [0013]

L'agencement doit être tel que chacun de ces moyens intervienne automatiquement, à tour de rôle, et pendant le temps nécessaire pour pouvoir exécuter l'opération désirée, telle qu'elle a été programmée. The arrangement must be such that each of these means intervene automatically, in turn, and for the time needed to perform the desired operation, as has been programmed.

[0014] [0014]

Le dessin annexé montre à titre d'exemple un mode de réalisation d'une machine suivant la présente invention. The appended drawing shows by way of example an embodiment of a machine according to the present invention.

La fig. Fig.1 est une vue, partie en coupe et partie en élévation, d'une tête de cintrage susceptible d'être utilisée dans cette machine. 1 is a perspective, part sectional and part in elevation, of a bending head which can be used in this machine.

On voit donc qu'avec un tel dispositif, on peut obtenir des cintrages d'un rayon de courbure quelconque, à condition qu'il soit supérieur à celui du rayon du galet intérieur 1, et avec des angles au centre de ces courbures également quelconque. It is thus seen that with such a device, one can obtain bends with a radius of any curvature, provided it is greater than the radius of the inner roller 1, and with angles at the center of these also any curvatures .

Dans le mode de réalisation représenté à la figure 4, une telle tête de cintrage 30 est montée sur le bâti 31 avec ses trois moteurs, 6 de commande du pivotement de l'axe 4 du galet extérieur 3 autour de celui 2 du galet intérieur 1, le moteur 18 qui permet de faire pivoter le plan de cintrage de la tête de cintrage 30 autour du tube à cintrer 5, et le moteur 32 qui entraîne les paires de galets 33 qui provoquent le coulissement désiré du tube 5 à travers la tête de cintrage. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, such a bending head 30 is mounted on the frame 31 with three motors 6 for controlling the pivoting of the axis 4 of the outer roller 3 around one of the two inner roller 1 , the motor 18 which can rotate the bending plane of the bending head 30 around the pipe to be bent 5, and the motor 32 which drives the pairs of rollers 33 which cause the desired sliding of the tube 5 through the head of bending.

[0026] [0026]

La machine comporte en outre un dispositif escamotable 33a permettant, avant le commencement des opérations de cintrage du tube 5, de présenter devant celui-ci, en 34, un raccord fileté provenant de la rampe d'alimentation 35, de façon connue en soi, à travers lequel on engage l'extrémité antérieure dudit tube; The machine further comprises a retractable device 33a prior to the start of the bending operations of the tube 5, to present to the latter, at 34, a threaded connector from the fuel rail 35, in a known manner, through which it engages the forward end of said tube;un dispositif approprié façonne ensuite l'extrémité antérieure de ce tube de façon que ce raccord fileté ne puisse plus s'échapper vers l'avant. a suitable device then shaping the front end of the tube so that this threaded connection can not escape forward.

[0027] [0027]

L'extrémité postérieure du tronçon de canalisation qu'on vient de cintrer et de séparer, par cisaillement, du tube dont il constituait la partie antérieure, peut de même être pourvue d'un raccord fileté et être façonnée pour qu'il ne puisse pas s'échapper vers l'arrière. The rear end of the pipe string which has just been bent and separated, by shearing, the tube of which it constitutes the anterior portion, may similarly be provided with a threaded connection and be shaped so that it can not escape to the rear.

[0028] [0028]

Ces différents moteurs 6, 18 et 32, ainsi que la commande 36 du dispositif escamotable 33a destiné à engager l'extrémité antérieure du tube dans un raccord fileté, ainsi qu'à façonner ensuite ladite extrémité du tube, peuvent être commandés automatiquement par un dispositif numérique approprié; These motors 6, 18 and 32 and the control 36 of the retractable device 33a for engaging the anterior end of the tube in a threaded connection, as well as subsequently shaping said end of the tube can be controlled automatically by a device appropriate digital;pour passer de la fabrication d'un type de canalisation déterminé à un autre type de canalisation, il suffit de faire fonctionner la machine sous le contrôle de commandes numériques avec le programme correspondant au type de canalisation désiré. to go from making a type of pipe determined a different kind of pipe, simply operate the machine under the control of digital controls with the program corresponding to the desired type of pipe.

Claims (8)

1. A machine for bending tubes by means of a bending head through which the tube (5) to be bent passes axially and comprising at its front part two bending rollers with parallel axes between which said tube passes, namely an inner roller (1) to which the tube remains constantly tangential and against which it bears during the bending operation, and an outer roller (3) whose axis (4) is rotatable about that (2) of the inner roller (1), the plane containing the axes of the two rollers being perpendicular to the axis of the tube (5) in the inoperative position of the outer roller (3), and means for causing said axis (4) of the outer roller (3) to pivot about that (2) of the inner roller (1), characterised in that to enable the tube to be bent according to any radii of curvature, provided that they are equal to or greater than that of the inner roller (1), the axis (4) of the outer roller (3) is provided at such a distance from that (2) of the inner roller (1) that a space is present between it and the inner roller which is very slightly greater than the diameter of the tube (5) to be bent, thereby leaving a clearance of the order of 1 mm between the outer roller (3) and the tube (5) to be bent when said outer roller (3) is in the inoperative position, in that a guide nozzle (37) is secured to its front part immediately behind the inner bending roller (1) so that it is traversed axially by the tube (5) to be bent and so that it prevents deformation thereof by reaction in the opposite direction to that intended by its bending about the inner roller (1) under the action of the outer roller (3), and in that it also comprises means (21) for cutting the tube to length once the desired pipe has been formed, and other means (33) for shaping the two ends of said pipe and fitting thereto conventional threaded connectors with which they have to be provided.

2. A machine according to Claim 1, characterised in that by means of bevel gears (7 and 7a) and spur gears (8, 8a, 8b) a motor (6) drives, in movement of translation, an external rack (9) of a sleeve (10) concentrically with the tube (5) and parallel to this tube, and the rear ends of two symmetrical connecting rods (11) are articulated to the front part of this sleeve (10), their front ends being articulated to the lower part of a member (12) forming a fork, the flanges of which are mounted to rotate about the axis (2) of the inner roller (1) and between which is mounted the axis (4) of the outer roller (3).

3. A machine according to either of Claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the operative part (14) of the bending head, on which the inner and outer bending rollers (1) and (3) are mounted, is itself rotatable within the sliding sleeve (10) which, in turn, is maintained in a fixed angular position by a plate (15) sliding in a frame (16) of the bending head and engaged in a longitudinal groove (17) provided for this purpose in the sleeve (10).

4. A machine according to Claim 3, characterised in that a motor (18) rotatably drives an internally toothed sleeve (19) meshing with an external toothing (20) of a rearward extension (13) of the operative part (14) of the bending head.

5. A machine according to Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a motor (32) rotatably drives pairs of rollers (33) between which the tube (5) is inserted and controls the desired sliding of this tube (5) through the bending head, thereby making it possible to increase the angle of curvature of the portion of the tube (5) being bent, without alteration to the angle of curvature if the outer roller (3) is maintained in the angular position relative to that of the inner roller (1) corresponding to said radius of curvature.

6. An automatic machine according to any of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that a numerical control controls the operation of all of its motors (6,18 and 32).

7. An automatic machine according to Claim 6, characterised in that the numerical control responds to the programme with which it has been provided, the latter corresponding itself to the characteristics of the pipes to be formed.

8. An automatic machine according to any of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that it comprises means for feeding the tube to be bent along the axis of its bending head for the purpose of obtaining, firstly, a first straight portion of desired length, then an adjoining bent portion having the desired radius and angle of curvature, means for pivoting the bending head about its axis by the desired angle so that its operating plane is that in which should be situated the next adjoining bent portion of the tube and the straight portion forming the extension thereof, and means for pivoting the outer roller about the axis of the inner roller by such an angle that the curved portion which it then shapes has the desired radius of curvature, said means continuing to operate successively so as to form the various straight and bent portions which the tube to be bent is intended to comprise, thereby forming the desired pipe.